The expansion of real life casinos in the UK
As one of the most popular casino locations in the world, the UK has an incredibly progressive attitude and adaptive laws when it comes to both physical casino gaming and online iGaming venues operating in the UK.
While land-based casinos first began appearing in the early 70’s and 80’s, today’s online offerings have by far taken over land based activity. Yet, that doesn’t mean to say that land-based casinos are over.
In recent months, there has been heightened activity around physical casino venues in an attempt to revamp and expand the entertainment sector, following a period of downturn.
As such, not only are casinos like Virgin Games focusing on building out their online slots but are also investing in a wave of super casino complexes and offer a whole variety of entertainment.
Below, we’ll take a look at some of the best casino locations in the UK, including all new and upcoming super casino venues.
The UK Casino Experience
The UK has one of the most diverse casino experiences in Europe, offering a variety of casino gaming venues, from bingo halls to casinos, wagering shops, live poker rooms, sports wagering venues and much more.
Statistics suggest that there are around 100 land-based casinos in the UK, in which the industry has seen unprecedented growth in the last few years.
These casinos are consistently spread out throughout the UK and attract a variety of people, including a target audience that would not have traditionally visited a casino gaming venues previously.
Yet, today’s incorporation of technology, entertainment and comfort have made casinos somewhat of a hub for leisure activity.
Visitors can now find a variety of facilities in UK casinos, including bars, restaurants, shops and even hotels, with all the staff to accompany them. Let’s take a look at one of the largest and most successful zoos in the UK so far.
The Hippodrome Casino | London
The Hippodrome casino, located in Leicester square in London, lies at the heart of the tourist part of the city and attracts more than 30,000 people a week.
The venue contains 8 bars and restaurants, creating a lively venue for visitors to have a good time, regardless of whether you’re into casino games or not.
The venue takes pride in being more than just a casino, with plans in the works including a Chinese restaurant, a Crepe- champagne bar and another top secret bar to be discovered.
Not only does the casino act as an entertainment hub but the building is used by the local community to host conferences, provide a space for the Chinese Community Centre, and hosts homeless charities and political organisation events.
This kind of use demonstrates how casinos are adapting to the economic and social conditions to survive the modern day era.
Brighton Pier
In recent efforts to revamp Brighton Pier and offer more leisure and entertainment facilities, Grosvenor Casinos have created the hit – Pier 9.
Pier 9 is an exclusive entertainment venue that features a large casino with everything you would expect including roulette, electronic darts, shuffleboard and much more. There’s also a Karaoke room that can be hired out for private events, raising more capital for the venue.
In addition to this, Pier 9 offers a variety of drinks and four exclusive menus to keep guests full while enjoying the casino.
To top it off, there’s even a live entertainment stage to provide the ultimate night out for locals and those visiting Brighton.
UK Super Casinos
Following the above two venues, there are more and more super casino venues popping up across the UK, adding additional entertainment for those visiting the country, as well as the UK population who have shown a clear love of brick and mortar casinos for decades.
However, super casinos are no new theme and were first considered by the UK government in 2005 in order to bring in extra income for the entertainment industry. The idea was inspired by casino resorts that were being developed with success across the US.
To meet the requirements for a super casino, the venue must be 5,000 square metres or more and provide a maximum of 1,250 unlimited jackpot slot machines.
In the 2005 plan, at least 8 casinos were planned out across the UK. While this plan was initially denied by the UK government, there has since been developments of super casino venues that are just as impressive, despite not retaining the UK super casino status.
The impact of UK casinos on tourism
Since the development of casino entertainment facilities across the UK, tourism has only increased. With an average of 40.9 million tourists each year, the tourism sector accounts for a major percentage of UK revenue, in which the casino sector is a great contributing factor.
What’s more, thanks to movies like James Bond that have glamorised casinos, more and more people are looking for city breaks across the world that feature great casinos so they can jump in on the casino action.
Overall, whether you are an experienced casino visitor or not, today’s casinos feature far more than just traditional casino games and there’s an abundance across the UK to visit.
